what do octopus eat

Octopuses are carnivores that eat a wide range of sea animals, mainly crustaceans like crabs and shrimp, shellfish like clams and mussels, fish, and sometimes even other octopuses.

Quick Scoop: What do octopus eat?

Core diet (the ocean buffet)

Most octopuses are predators that grab whatever suitable prey is within reach in their habitat.

They commonly eat:

• Crabs and shrimp (their favorite crustaceans).

• Lobsters and other larger crustaceans if they are big enough.

• Clams, mussels, and other bivalves they can crack or drill into.

• Snails and other gastropods living on rocks and sand.

• Fish, including small fishes and, for large species, even small sharks or birds in rare cases.

• Other cephalopods, including squid and sometimes other octopuses (they can be cannibals).

Newly hatched baby octopuses are tiny and mostly eat:

• Plankton.
• Tiny crustaceans like copepods.
• Larval crabs and fish larvae.

How their menu changes by size

• Babies (hatchlings): plankton, microscopic crustaceans, and other small drifting organisms.

• Small/medium octopuses: small crabs, mussels, clams, snails, worms, and small fish.

• Giant species (like giant Pacific octopus): big crabs, large clams and scallops, lobsters, fish, squid, other octopuses, and occasionally small sharks or birds.

Hunting style: smart seafood hunters

Octopuses are clever hunters that use stealth, strength, and tools to catch food.

Common tactics:

• Sneaking over the seafloor and pouncing on prey, wrapping it in their arms and webbing.

• Using their suckers to pry open shells like clams and mussels.

• Drilling small holes in hard shells and injecting venom that paralyzes or digests prey.

• Changing color and texture to ambush prey from camouflage.

They have a sharp beak (like a bird’s) hidden at the center of their arms to bite and tear food, and all known octopus species have venom of varying strength.

Species and habitat differences

What an octopus eats depends a lot on where it lives.

• Reef-dwelling octopuses: mostly reef animals such as crabs, reef fish, snails, and clams living among coral.

• Benthic (seafloor) octopuses: shellfish, worms, and crustaceans that live on or in the sand and rocks.

• Deep-sea species (like Dumbo octopus): deep-sea crustaceans (copepods, amphipods, isopods), bristle worms, and other small invertebrates drifting or living near the bottom.

• Open-ocean/shallower finless species: mix of shrimp, fish, small squid, and other drifting animals.

Mini FAQ and “trending” curiosities

• Do octopuses eat humans?
  No—there is no evidence of octopuses eating humans; large ones might defend themselves with a strong grab or bite, but people are not on the menu.

• Are they picky eaters?
  They’re generally opportunistic: if it’s the right size, moves like prey, and is catchable, they’ll probably try to eat it.

• Latest research angle:
  Recent educational pieces still emphasize that octopuses eat “whatever’s within reach” in their size range, with crustaceans and shellfish dominating their diet worldwide.

TL;DR: Octopuses are carnivores that mainly eat crabs, shrimp, lobsters, clams, mussels, snails, fish, and sometimes squid or other octopuses, while babies start off eating plankton and tiny crustaceans.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.